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Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series: Freediver Safety Perspective
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After a busy day preparing for a record attempt I trawled through my information stream of e-mails. In the Inbox was a welcome sight. The organiser of the safety crew for the Red Bull Cliff diving World Series had contacted me, asking if I was interested in doing the diving safety for the 2013 event in Abereiddy, South Wales at the Blue Lagoon. Information had already started to filter through to me about this event a few weeks before, and I had googled a previous year’s competition, and seen the location and the whole thing just looked stunning.
I duly accepted the role of being on the surface of the water as the athletes dived from the 27 metre high diving board. We were to follow the Divers down into the water and deal with the potential of unconsciousness or spinal injury or simply winding of the athlete. I might add at this point due to the nature of the set up, and the skill of the athletes, this is another example of an extreme sport where there are very few injuries. But like any sport, even the sports that on the surface look like there are small risks only, accidents can happen.
I was asked to take a second freediver with me for additional support that had the required abilities. Given it was a 4-5 day contract, and located down South, I chose my good friend Sam Still. We have entrusted our lives to each other on innumerable occasions as safety divers for our own sport for almost exactly a decade now. The team was coming together; in addition to us, there was a very experienced scuba diver to deal with the potential of a deep prolonged incident, a paramedic on a jet ski operated by a Jet ski rescue driver/instructor (in case a diver needed a quick transfer to shore), both of whom had done the previous year’s competition, and of course the organiser, who had the experience of last year’s event. We were part of an experienced team.
On the shore were advanced paramedics, coastguard, various methods of transferring casualties and plenty of medical equipment for all eventualities. My hats off to the Red Bull team – when they do something, they do it properly! No cutting corners, no expense spared in safety. An entire pontoon was set up to deal with an incident; it was never needed, but doesn’t detract from it being there.
Wednesday 11th September 2013: Set up
Thursday 12th September 2013: Training
Friday 13th September 2013: Qualifying dives
Saturday 14th September 2013: Competition Day
On the morning of the set up we travelled with the crew to the venue. We parked up right next to the sea, right on the South West Wales coast, a beautiful beach to launch the armada of craft that we would eventually take over the lagoon. We decided firstly to go and view the venue – what an amazing place. I travel all around the world and this is certainly a unique place. Like a Roman amphitheatre, with a deep water pool at the bottom, with access and egress only possible around and over steep cliffs or at high tide, you could take vessels of all sizes through the narrow entrance to the bottom of the amphitheatre.
Enough time already spent, it was the beginning of what turned out to be a 12 hour day. I put many of the skills I’d learned from my two decades on and around water to good use – drove RIBS, set up platforms, towed RIBs, kayaked, tied knots, made shot lines, made buoyed off areas, depth sounded the entry points and many more useful jobs.
On training day we were fortunate to have experienced cliff diver Joey Zuber, now a TV presenter, organiser and motivational speaker. The training consisted of lots of descriptions of how the cliff divers dive, how they may spin, how far away they would land and what was the most likely outcome of a bad dive etc… He also told us about his worst accident where he smashed his femur; what made matters worse was his location in a remote part of Columbia, but that is another whole story in itself.
We learnt that the stream of water that was at the bottom of the cliff was actually so the athletes can judge where the water is to perfect their landing, so we took that job very seriously. We did get ribbed by some of my students who had travelled to see the show that we were just the ‘splashers’.
The Underwater spinal position they wanted to put the divers in was very similar to our normal lifting procedure, once we had ‘got our eye in’ on how deep and at what speed the athletes got to that depth we could pinpoint every single time in the bad visibility water (maybe 2 metres?) where to be. We decided I’d go shallow and quick, so maybe to 2 metres each dive, and Sam would go below the plume of water the diver produced and get any deeper problems, maybe 4 metres. I was extremely surprised how shallow the athletes went even on perfect dives; they were coming up in a couple, few seconds nearly every time.
We practised the transition for getting an injury from the original underwater rescue to shore. A single Freediver lifts the Cliff Diver to the surface and stabilises with Scuba diver to assist in positive buoyancy. The other Freediver gets the spinal board from the Jet Ski and positions it under the diver. Once the diver is on the board it is slid onto the back of Jet Ski, which then travels to shore, maybe 50 metres away. We got the victim from being underwater to being on the shore with the larger group of Paramedics literally within 20 seconds. It was slick! This gave us great confidence that the job in hand was within our capabilities.
The real test started once the athletes started their warm up dives. More than once, there was a stream of Cliff Divers leap from the 27m platform, one after another. We literally power dived down for the first, swam to the surface, checked they were okay and on the Jet Ski they went back to shore. As soon as we then look up to the platform the next diver was there ready to soar through the air into the water. So with no time to hang about we would swim quickly back to our set positions, where the Cliff Divers would occasionally gave us specific instructions at to where they wanted us, as each had their own preference near or far. Once they were happy we would all signal that were ready and then we started to splash hard to make their entry visible. They’d take some steps back, stretch, then they’d walk forward and dive, we’d start to breath in as they left the platform and as soon as they hit the water, about 3 seconds later, we would hold our breath and dive after them, swimming frantically over to them, follow them up, see they are okay, lie on our back to signal to the next cliff diver….
It was one of those repetitive series of actions where you can just forget about everything in the world except your specific reason for being there. The brief times of rest in between I would lie on my back, watching a cliff diver walk over to the edge of the platform, then watching the clouds in the blue sky behind the diver’s silhouette as they slowly drifted behind the cliffs, the warm sun on my face… and then they’d jump, everything would start to go into slow motion as I got more into the zone… nice.
The divers came quick because the water was cold and they wanted to get back into the hot tub. South Wales, even in August, in just a tiny pair of speedos is only for the hardy.
The competition day came soon enough. We had met the athletes a few times over lunches and dinners and they are a sound bunch, genuinely great people; we knew we had to be there for them. An armada of kayaks and boats started to filter through into the lagoon and find their spot. Hundreds of spectators lined the cliffs, the water’s edge and some even in the water. The amphitheatre was full, full of excited viewers and the athletes never failed to impress.
Find out more about the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series here
Jake Davies boards Ghazala Explorer for an unforgettable Red Sea diving experience…
Overnight, the wind picked up, making the planned morning dive a bit bumpy on the Zodiacs to the drop point on Thomas Reef. There, we would dive along the reef before descending through the canyon and then passing under the arch before ascending the wall with a gentle drift. The site provided great encounters with more pelagic species, including shoals of large barracuda, tuna, and bigeye trevally.
Once back on the boat, it was time to get everything tied down again as we would head back south. This time, with the wind behind us, heading to Ras Mohammed to dive Jackfish Alley for another great gentle drift wall dive before then heading up the coast towards the Gulf of Suez to moor up at the wreck of the Thistlegorm. This being the highlight wreck dive of the trip and for many onboard, including myself, it was the first time diving this iconic wreck. I had heard so much about the wreck from friends, and globally, this is a must on any diver’s list. Fortunately for us, there was only one other boat at the site, which was a rarity. A great briefing was delivered by Ahmed, who provided a detailed background about the wreck’s history along with all the required safety information as the currents and visibility at the site can be variable.
Kitting up, there was a lot of excitement on deck before entering the water and heading down the shoreline. Descending to the wreck, there was a light northerly current which reduced the visibility, making it feel more like the conditions that can be found off the Welsh coast. At 10m from the bottom, the outline of the wreck appeared as we reached the area of the wreck which had been bombed, as our mooring line was attached to part of the propeller shaft. Arriving on deck, instantly everywhere you looked there were many of the supplies which the ship was carrying, including Bren Carrier tanks and projectiles that instantly stood out.
We headed around the exterior, taking a look at the large propeller and guns mounted on deck before entering the wreck on the port side to take a look in the holds. It was incredible to see all the trucks, Norton 16H, and BSA motorcycles still perfectly stacked within, providing a real snapshot in time.
Overall, we had four dives on the Thistlegorm, where for all of the dives we were the only group in the water, and at times, there were just three of us on the whole wreck, which made it even more special, especially knowing that most days the wreck has hundreds of divers. Along with the history of the wreck, there was plenty of marine life on the wreck and around, from big green turtles to batfish, along with shoals of mackerel being hunted by trevally. Some unforgettable dives.
The final leg of the trip saw us cross back over the Suez Canal to the Gobal Islands where we planned to stay the night and do three dives at the Dolphin House for the potential of sharing the dive with dolphins. The site, which included a channel that was teeming with reef fish, especially large numbers of goatfish that swam in large shoals along the edge of the reef. These were nice relaxing dives to end the week. Unfortunately, the dolphins didn’t show up, which was okay as like all marine life they are difficult to predict and you can’t guarantee what’s going to be seen. With the last dive complete, we headed back to port for the final night where it was time to clean all the kit and pack before the departure flight the next day.
The whole week from start to finish on Ghazala Explorer was amazing; the boat had all the facilities you need for a comfortable week aboard. The crew were always there to help throughout the day and the chefs providing top quality food which was required after every dive. The itinerary providing some of the best diving with a nice mixture of wreck and reef dives. I would recommend the trip to anyone, whether it’s your first Red Sea liveaboard in the Red Sea or you’re revisiting. Hopefully, it’s not too long before I head back to explore more of the Red Sea onboard Ghazala Explorer.
To find out more about the Northern Red Sea reef and wrecks itineraries aboard Ghazala Explorer, or to book, contact Scuba Travel now:
Email: dive@scubatravel.com
Tel: +44 (0)1483 411590
Photos: Jake Davies / Avalon.Red
Jake Davies boards Ghazala Explorer for an unforgettable Red Sea diving experience…
The second day’s diving was a day full of wreck diving at Abu Nuhas, which included the Chrisoula K, Carnatic, and Ghiannis D. The first dive of the day was onto the Chrisoula K, also known as the wreck of tiles. The 98m vessel remains largely intact where she was loaded with tiles which can be seen throughout the hold. The stern sits at 26m and the bow just below the surface. One of the highlights of the wreck is heading inside and seeing the workroom where the machinery used for cutting the tiles are perfectly intact. The bow provided some relaxing scenery as the bright sunlight highlighted the colours of the soft coral reef and the many reef fish.
Following breakfast, we then headed to the next wreck, which was the Carnatic. The Carnatic is an 89.9m sail steamer vessel that was built in Britain back in 1862. She ran aground on the reef back in 1869 and remains at 27m. At the time, she was carrying a range of items, including 40,000 sterling in gold. An impressive wreck where much of the superstructure remains, and the two large masts lay on the seafloor. The wooden ribs of the hull provide structures for lots of soft corals, and into the stern section, the light beams through, bouncing off the large shoals of glass fish that can be found using the structure as shelter from the larger predators that are found outside of the wreck.
The final wreck at Abu Nuhas was the Ghiannis D, originally called ‘Shoyo Maru,’ which was 99.5m long and built in Japan back in 1969 before becoming a Greek-registered cargo ship in 1980. The ship then ran aground on the reef on April 19th, 1983, and now sits at the bottom at a depth of 27m. Heading down the line, the stern of the ship remains in good condition compared to the rest of the hull. The highlight of the wreck, though, is heading into the stern section and down the flights of stairs to enter the engine room, which remains in good condition and is definitely worth exploring. After exploring the interior section of the ship, we then headed over to see the rest of the superstructure, where it’s particularly interesting to see the large table corals that have grown at the bow relatively quickly considering the date the ship sank. After surfacing and enjoying some afternoon snacks, we made sure everything was strapped down and secured as we would be heading north and crossing the Gulf of Suez, where the winds were still creating plenty of chop.
The next morning, it was a short hop to Ras Mohammed Nature Reserve for the next couple of days of diving. The 6am wake-up call came along with the briefing for the first site we would be diving, which was Shark & Yolanda. The low current conditions allowed us to start the dive at Anemone City, where we would drift along the steep, coral-filled wall. These dives involved drifts, as mooring in Ras Mohammed wasn’t allowed to protect the reefs. As a dive site, Shark & Yolanda is well-known and historically had a lot of sharks, but unfortunately not so many in recent years, especially not so early in the season. However, there was always a chance when looking out into the blue.
The gentle drift took us along the steep walls of the site, with plenty of anemone fish to be seen and a huge variety of corals. It wasn’t long into the dive before we were accompanied by a hawksbill turtle, who drifted with us between the two atolls before parting ways. Between the two reefs, the shallow patch with parts of coral heads surrounded by sand provided the chance to see a few blue-spotted stingrays that were mainly resting underneath the corals and are always a pleasure to see. With this being the morning dive, the early sunlight lit up the walls, providing tranquil moments. Looking out into the blue, there was very little to be seen, but a small shoal of batfish shimmering underneath the sunlight was a moment to capture as we watched them swim by as they watched us.
Towards the end of the dive, we stopped at the wreck of the Jolanda where the seafloor was scattered with toilets from the containers it was carrying. This provided a unique site to make a safety stop, which was also accompanied by a large barracuda slowly swimming by, along with a hawksbill turtle calmly swimming over the reef as the sun rays danced in the distance.
For the next dive, we headed north to the Strait of Tiran to explore the reefs situated between Tiran Island and Sharm El Sheik, which were named after the British divers who had found them. We started on Jackson before heading to Gordons Reef, where we also did the night dive. All the atolls at these sites provided stunning, bustling coral reefs close to the surface and steep walls to swim along, which always provided the opportunity to keep an eye out for some of the larger species that can be seen in the blue. Midwater around Jackson Reef was filled with red-toothed triggerfish and shoals of banner fish, which at times were so dense that you couldn’t see into the blue. Moments went by peacefully as we enjoyed the slow drift above the reef, watching these shoals swim around under the mid-afternoon sun.
The night dive at Gordon’s Reef was mainly among the stacks of corals surrounded by sand, which was great to explore under the darkness. After some time circling the corals, we came across what we were really hoping to find, and that was an octopus hunting on the reef. We spent the majority of the dive just watching it crawl among the reef, blending into its changing surroundings through changes in colour and skin texture. It’s always so fascinating and captivating to watch these incredibly intelligent animals, in awe of their ability to carry out these physical changes to perfectly blend into the reef. Before we knew it, it was time to head back to the boat to enjoy a well-deserved tasty dinner prepared by the talented chefs onboard.
Check in for the 3rd and final part of this series from Jake tomorrow!
To find out more about the Northern Red Sea reef and wrecks itineraries aboard Ghazala Explorer, or to book, contact Scuba Travel now:
Email: dive@scubatravel.com
Tel: +44 (0)1483 411590
Photos: Jake Davies / Avalon.Red
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